The Failed Proposal
by akaHAZZAP
Summary: A one-shot detailing Oliver's attempted proposal in 4x01.


A/N - Hope you enjoyed this little one-shot. This is a different style from my normal writing so I am intrigued to see what you guys think about this! Hope you enjoy!

The Failed Proposal

He should have known that it wouldn't go to plan. Did anything in his life ever go to plan? No. Nothing ever did. With Laurel, the Gambit, his crusade, his relationship with Felicity the previous year. So why should this be any different?

He had been planning it for weeks, the ring burning a hole in his pocket every time he felt it brush against his leg. He'd made it weeks previously, every time she popped out for some messages, he'd get to work, making sure that it was perfect, it was unique and solely for her. And every time when she would return she'd ask what he'd been up to, his usual reply just a run, or reading up on new recipes, he was sure that she never suspected a thing. And she never had a reason to suspect otherwise. Once he was finished making it he made sure to carry it around with him, never trusting his inquisitive girlfriend, aware that it wouldn't take much for her to stumble across the ring and for all his plans to be reduced to a rushed proposal. He wanted it to be special, just for her, for everything to be perfect because that's what she deserved.

And then the day finally came around. He'd warned her, dress nice, because he was cooking for them. A nice meal and some soufflés which were cooking in the oven, one of her favourite dishes. She'd been banned from the kitchen, he'd not wanted her to get a glimpse of what he'd been planning. And she'd tried her best to get a peep, to see if she could see what he was making, to see what he was planning, to see if she could guess what the special occasion was. It wasn't there six month anniversary. No, that was still in a few weeks and it wasn't the anniversary of the day they first met. No, there didn't seem to be anything remarkable about this day and that was what made Felicity even more happy. Oliver was a sap, a romantic at heart, something which she had learnt in all the days, weeks, months that they had spent together since leaving Starling, since starting their new lives together. And that made her happy, so utterly and exquisitely happy that he was just cooking her a meal, just spending the night with her because he loved her, and loved doing this.

When he'd pushed her up the stairs to get ready, her eyebrows raising seductively trying to get him to come with her, he put his foot down, kissing her briefly enough to tell her, later. Later, they could be together again, but not now, especially when it came to their love making, it tending to carry on, and on, and they had both lost count of the times they had ruined food because of their inability to separate themselves from each other long enough to check the food, or even to cover it up to stop it from going stale.

Whilst she was up the stairs he set the table up, a white table cloth, the chairs on opposite ends, the cutlery, the plates, the glasses, the napkins. He had everything ready because this was all going to go as planned. He'd prepared the food, the flowers, the ring. He was so ready for this and he knew she was too. They had had 'The Talk' within six weeks of leaving Starling. As they lay naked in bed one morning, the sun rising up lighting up the room, Felicity's head resting on his chest listening to the beating of his heart and his fingers tracing the scar on her shoulder, something he did frequently and something that she loved oh so much. Him taking time to love her imperfections as she did to his. She spoke of seeing him with baby Sara, of how it had affected her so much more than she could have thought, and then he mentioned the bouquet, seeing Felicity catching it. How he couldn't keep his eyes off of her during the vows, of how he had wanted that, how he had wanted them to take John and Lyla's place. She had giggled then, talking of a billionaire playboy wishing to settle down with someone he wasn't even in a relationship with. How funny it would have been if the past Ollie could have seen that. But once her giggling had quietened down she had agreed with him, that even then she knew that she wanted him, wanted to wear his ring, bear his children. To be fully with him and that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He had kissed her then, muttering how he wanted the same things, promising that some day he would make sure those things would come true. Since then he had thought about it a lot, and he was sure she had too, the way her eyes lingered on the couple down the street who had just had a baby, or on the man at the top of the Eiffel Tower who was proposing to his future wife, his best friend, his partner. And even now thinking about it, even though they had only been dating for just over five months this didn't feel rushed, he was sure that this would be their time, finally their time. But oh how wrong he was.

When he called up saying that he was ready, it didn't take her long to come down. A black dress clinging to her figure, enhancing her curves, her hips, her ass. This should have been his first hint that this would go wrong. His Felicity always wore red, as a dress or on her lips. But not today, no. For some reason she had decided against that. Realistically he couldn't wait to take his time, taking the dress off of her, slipping her out of the seductive piece. But for now he could appreciate her in it. He'd kissed her softly once she had descended, trying to keep his nerves in check, trying to stop the fidgeting of his hand, it rubbing against the ring in his trouser pocket, or the way he rubbed his fingers together in his nervous twitch, he knew Felicity noticed it, but for the moment she didn't say a word.

He pulled her chair out for her, commenting on the flowers. The red roses, the twelve red roses which he had bought for her, solely for her. And she smiled happily, taking a sniff of them before thanking him, pressing a kiss to his hand as it lingered in hers before reaching up and pressing a kiss to his cheek. They were lovely and just for her. At least they were red, and that should have been enough but they both knew that roses, weren't really their plant. The reminder of the fern she had bought him the year previously etched into their minds. He should have bought her a fern now, he had realised.

Then he brought out the wine which should have been his third realisation. It was white, not red, not her favourite, and not really his either. It complemented his food, yes, but it should have been her favourite. It's not that he didn't think that she wouldn't say yes, but this was meant to be a perfect night filled with all her favourites so why he had decided to buy the white instead of the red he wasn't sure. After all he had pondered over it the aisle of the shop for at least fifteen minutes before deciding on the white.

When he served the food, that had all gone to plan. He couldn't really go wrong with Italian and they both had enjoyed that immensely. The conversation flowing, Felicity open and laughing and enjoying life as she usually did. He was a little more reserved than usual. Concerned that something was going to go wrong, that she was going to say no, that maybe she had taken back her wants, that she didn't want to be with him for ever, for her to have his children. She could read his unease, and she questioned it, what was wrong with him? What was tonight all about, he let out a shy smile, reaching for her hand, leaving the ring still in his pocket, did he really need a reason to spend time with her? And at the moment that was enough for her, she wouldn't say no for him spoiling her, for the flowers, for the food, for spending quality time with him, because well, that's what she loved.

And then it was time, he cleared their plates away, made sure she had enough wine before darting to the kitchen, taking out the soufflés, putting the whipped cream on top, and then his trembling hand was in his pocket and the ring was out, before he quickly put it in the soufflé, hidden in the cream. He was ready for this, it was now or never.

He placed the puddings on a tray and he walked through to Felicity, to his future. Looking up, in the doorway, he froze in his tracks. It wasn't just Felicity standing there, no it was his sister, his ex-girlfriend as well. What were they doing there? Why were they interrupting the most important meal of his life? And Felicity was saying that he had visitors, that much was obvious and right now, as much as he loved his sister, or how glad he was to see her, the pair were unwelcome guests in his house. Why couldn't they have waited for the next day? For the morning or evening? Or even a few hours later where they would have probably interrupted their post-engagement celebrations but at least that would have been more advantageous than this. At least then his nerves would be over, because she would have hopefully said yes.

Laurel was begging them to come back, they need their help, they needed the arrow. But he didn't want that not now, not when he finally had Felicity and almost had everything that he had wanted. But his eyes resting on Felicity, knew the look in her eyes. He knew her, knew that look, she wanted this, wanted to go back and his heart dropped at that because maybe he wasn't enough for her?

It didn't take them long to pack up their belongs, to arrive back in Starling. The ring safely back in Oliver's pocket, ready to be hidden in Thea's room, somewhere Oliver knew Felicity wouldn't dare look. But the silence which had over come him, the brooding, was enough to alert Felicity that something was wrong with him. And then it was stumbling out of his lips, why he didn't want to do this, his reservations because this wasn't who he was any more, he couldn't be this any more. And Felicity was there comforting him, explaining her thoughts, how she knew he could do this, but in a different way. And that they were in this together, completely. That she just needed something more, to be with him and to help the city, he had given her a drive to help people and she wanted to fulfil that as well as be with him. He knew then that eventually that would happen, that she still wanted to be with him, but he would have to wait. And he knew it would be worth the wait. Because Felicity was it for him.

But the one thing that he would never have guessed was those exact words that he had wanted to say stumbling out of Felicity's mouth less than a year later. The way that she smiled shyly up at him, the sun beating down on him from behind her, the way she was grasping hold of his arms and her eyes full of hope and love. He couldn't do anything but laugh, and a "yes oh god yes," slipping out of lips before he could even really think of anything else to say. His lips finding hers them and them clinging to each other because at that moment they were the only two in the world.

In the years that followed they would laugh about it, how she had been the one to ask him first. How there was something that she had finally beaten him too. But in the end it didn't really matter because they were where they both wanted to be. As man and wife.

A/N - Thanks for reading! :D You can find me at akahazzap on tumblr! Stay tuned there if you are interested in seeing more Olicity and for more details about a multi-fic which I am hoping to start posting soon!


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